That’s PVs, not PBs – older muscles keep finding a new route to blocking the latter – but the PVs were good medicines!

1995 Dubreuil-Fontaine, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Ile des Vergelesses
Good colour, not overtly aged. The nose begins in very attractive fashion, with a silky smooth width of spiced red fruit. Despite a good-looking and robust cork – only 60% saturated with wine – the the first flavours suggest an accent of oxidation, but subsequent glasses don’t show it at all – I assume that must have just been the wine in the neck(?) The wine is smooth and tasty with fine balance, though not particularly extra-special in any way. Just a pretty middle-age wine. One third is left over for day two and it’s just a little more balsamic in style – very drinkable – but not as good as day one.
Rebuy – Yes

2009 Chandon de Briailles, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Ile des Vergelesses
A little deeper in colour. The nose, unsurprisingly has a younger fruit and is more primary – just a little tightness to start with. In the mouth this has more volume, a little less smoothness but definitely a more persistent and intense finishing flavour. Really another level of mid-palate and finishing flavour, yet less balanced and certainly less easy to drink than the 1995 – to start. One-third stays in the bottle for day 2 – and what a change! Balanced, younger impression, just delicious wine – here for the first time with a small accent of whole-clusters. Delicious and with real depth too – Right now I’d suggest decanting – the aeration really made a difference!
Rebuy – Yes

Three super wines this weekend!

2014 Château Pommard, Pommard Clos Marey-Monge
There’s no doubting the ambition here; a new bottle design (shape), and an impressively wide, if Screwpull unfriendly neck, then there’s the new label design. It doesn’t stop there, there’s the oak too:
A good depth of colour, and a nose that’s creamily, spicily oaked – but with attractive and inviting dimensions of aroma. Frankly, cold (from the fridge – it’s summer!) this smells oaky and it tastes even oakier – but let it slowly warm in the glass and it relaxes. There’s a little fine-grained tannin – but with no astringence – and there’s an attractive sweetness to the fruit too. Cold I would have said way over-oaked for the material in the bottle, but at a correct temperature – say 16-18°C – this simply tastes like a young wine of good potential. It’s even a wine that finally becomes relatively easy to drink, yet with fine flavour dimension. Patience is required, but this is excellent Pommard – I’d even go as far as to say – yum!
Rebuy – Yes

2007 Chezeaux/Ponsot, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
The last vintage with ‘real’ cork.
Rather a modest depth of colour and just a little age to that colour too. The nose has lots of depth – without reduction – silky fruit, like a plum tart with a cherry topping – time in the glass and the notes are becoming higher-toned and more precise – lovely! Wide, lush but fresh, a little saline and certainly nicely mouth-watering in the finish – and what an impressive length of finish! Good dimension of attractive but never ‘simple’ flavour. Like most 2007s, this is drinking very well now. I’m reminded that after tasting 2007s in barrel, I described them as 2000s but better – and how good have the 2000s been for the last 5 years? I’m still more than happy with that characterisation – after a sticky, tricky start the 2007s are now coming good!
Rebuy – Yes

2005 Henri Naudin-Ferrand, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Rouge ‘Orchis Mascula’
I remember this wine from 5 years ago when it showed a gothic level of stems – it really wasn’t a thing of beauty – fortunately, time has done it many favours.
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose has lots of depth, no reduction, and still a little steminess, but with no aromatic astringence or discord – more a floral aspect and a suggestion of connected pyrazine. In the mouth this has come on leaps and bounds; there’s a rush of fresh, and sweetly mouth-watering, flavour, still a little grain of tannin. This wine is, today, simply delicious while still showing its stylistic roots – bravo!
Rebuy – Yes
This latter wine is so much more enjoyable than it was 5 years ago – and interestingly, the back label suggests that it should be at its optimum between 2008 and 2012. For this 2005, wrong. It is just so massively better now than in 2012 – at that time it was certainly interesting, but definitely not delicious!

Getting back into the swing of things:

2015 Louis Max, Rully Les Plantenays
Well, there’s something of creme brulee nose here – attractive, yet I’m now anticipating plenty of oak. The palate retains a freshness and deliciousness, despite some padding – an oak augmentation to plenty of lemony action. Super in its oaked vernacular which means that I don’t think I’d want to take two glasses in a row, but I’m very happy with the one!
Rebuy – No

2010 Raveneau, Chablis 1er Butteaux
Not really stony like the the 2012, rather the nose has a cushioned depth of fresh lemon. The attack is the first impression, backed-up by a richness and silkiness of texture and concentration – hand in hand. The mid-palate just melts over your tongue in absolutely delicious fashion. Certainly mineral and beautifully proportioned in the finish. Magnificent 1er cru…
Rebuy – Yes

1993 Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot, Beaune 1er Boucherottes
I don’t know many bottled Boucherottes – I’ve seen this, there’s Le Grappin and (I think) AF Gros, and…
A good, strong cork despite being quite wine-soaked. Good colour – ie plenty of depth but no browning. The nose is tarry, slowly adding floral components, before slowly adding deeper, dark fruit references. The palate is, likewise, a tarry affair but with fine dark cherry fruit. The complexion is fresh, with a growing intensity but is also very silky. Truth be told, this is still a very young wine, but I’ve no problem refreshing the glass. Yum!
Rebuy – Yes

2012 Raveneau, Chablis 1er Butteaux
I was lucky enough to drink the 2010 of this at Au Fils Du Zinc. in Chablis, last month, and it was open, ready and fabulous. This wine is also fabulous, but it’s a long-way away from being ‘ready.’ The nose is all rocks and citrus – it’s a great invitation to drink. The palate has a tight minerality but from the end of the mid-palate into the finish it opens out and the flavours hold tenaciously. Not yet delicious, but certainly tasty and rather compelling and moreish too. Super stuff – but wait 3-5 years while drinking the 2010 – if you are so lucky!
Rebuy – Yes

2004 Pierre Bourée, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos St.Jacques
The cork is soaked right through but manages not to break in half – I expect because it slides out so easily – probably best that this bottle was now opened, given this cork. Quite a deep colour, the nose starts with an overt pyrazine, but shaded differently to when young. Slowly but surely there’s a nice, slightly plummy, but still fresh, dark fruit on the nose – it’s an intriguing nose and quite inviting at the same tine. Supple, silky entry, a slowly growing grain of tannin into the mid-palate and finish. That minerally pyrazine note is more forward on the palate than on the nose, making the finish just a little bitter. I couldn’t for a moment describe this as delicious, but am happy to stay with intriguing. Overall, complex, interesting, and I would say starting to drink – certainly it’s a much easier drink now than when it was young!
Rebuy – No